The Bayit Yehudi party on Tuesday afternoon, 9 Iyar halted coalition negotiations with Likud until such time Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responds to the party’s demand to control the Ministry of Education. Party officials are signaling that if Bayit Yehudi does not receive the Education Ministry, it will not continue negotiations to enter the coalition and will join the opposition parties.

Party leader Naftali Bennett has requested to be appointed Minister of Education and he now appears to have decided to pressure PM Netanyahu into responding earlier rather than later.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)